This invention relates generally to display systems and specifically to an image data display system for the review and analysis of medical data.
Visualization of anatomical data acquired by imaging devices generating 3D datasets is typically handled by volume rendering the intensity and/or density values (for example, Hounsfield Units (HU) in the case of Computed Tomography (CT) for instance). Many clinical applications are based on three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the volumetric data; these include advanced lung analysis, advanced vessel analysis, cardiac, CT colonography, and the like. These applications rely on the values of the image data (intensity or density) to display 3D rendering of selected anatomies using thresholding techniques to identify them from the remaining data.
Some of these applications are used routinely to screen for cancer in the form of tumors. For example, radiologists search for nodules and polyps in the lung and colon using methodologies such as Advanced Lung Analysis (ALA) and Computed Tomography Colonography (CTC).
Radiologists currently detect nodules in the lung by viewing the axial image slices of the chest. This approach is time consuming and becomes more time consuming with increasing numbers of CT slices. Detection is then followed by a separate analysis for characterization of the nodule with the help of Advanced Lung Analysis's (ALA's) segmentation, volume measurement, and reporting tools. Radiologists will also need to view images generated in the analysis of the nodules. The image views of the viewing function and the analysis function are displayed separately. The radiologist must then toggle between separate displays of the multiple image views relating to the viewing and/or the analysis during the course of an exam. As the number of CT slices increases, the review of all the image views in the various steps of viewing and analysis becomes even more time consuming and cumbersome, as the radiologist must navigate back and forth between the image views multiple times with multiple navigation commands.
Processing algorithms for various review and analysis tools continue to be optimized, reducing processing times for individual tools and algorithms. Concurrent with new detection capabilities, like Digital Contrast Agent (DCA), which have improved times to review and analyze image data, there remains a need to streamline workflow involving viewing and analysis functions that reduces the navigation steps and the need to toggle between multiple views, thereby reducing the time required to complete the exam.